Vadodara: After much delay, the Gujarat government on Tuesday appointed four of its nominees to the syndicate of M S University.
The appointment of four government nominees comes amid the tug-of-war playing out between the rival saffron camps on campus, between the ruling saffron group and the sankalan samiti (coordination committee), which has members of the BJP, RSS, ABVP and the teachers’ body, the Maharaja Sayajirao Vishvavidyalay Shaikshik Sangh.
The state government’s nominees are Dr Shital Mistry; Jignesh Soni; councillor of ward number 19, Dr Jivraj Chauhan and Rajendra Patel, the former youth BJP president of Vadodara district. Their appointments are for a term of three years.
The state government’s decision has upset the ‘sankalan samiti’, which was caught unawares. Usually, the sankalan samiti prepares a list of candidates which, after deliberations, is recommended to the state government for a final decision.
However, sources in the varsity say the sankalan samiti had not even held a meeting to discuss the names this time.
While the sankalan samiti has been taken by surprise, the state government’s decision will have an impact on city politics within the BJP as well. Chauhan was considered a claimant for the post of standing committee chairman of the Vadodara Municipal Corporation.
The state government’s decision is seen as a clear indication that it wants to prioritize party politics, rather than appointing eminent persons to the body. In 2015, the state government nominated educationist Tejal Amin and ophthalmologist Ashok Mehta to the syndicate, apart from Jigar Inamdar and the RSS-linked Jignesh Soni.
Both Amin and Mehta had were critical of many decisions the ruling saffron body had taken on the basis of their majority in the syndicate.
While Soni has been nominated for his second consecutive term, Inamdar, who led the ruling saffron camp, was elected to the syndicate in February from a general category seat.
Yadav to be MSU’s nominee on GSEB
Syndicate member Dr Dineshsingh Yadav has been elected the representative of M S University on the Gujarat Secondary Education Board (GSEB) in Gandhinagar for three years, according to provisions of the Gujarat Secondary Education Act, 1972. Yadav will remain a member of GSEB for three years or till he remains a member of the university’s syndicate, whichever is earlier. While this decision was taken on Monday, MSU sent an official missive about it to the GSEB chairman on Tuesday.
